Restoration advice

Have restored English bikes before; but never a bmw. Probably will do a 60/5. Anyone with advice, especially around Orlando, Florida, would like to hear from. Eagle

Eagle said:

Have restored English bikes before; but never a bmw. Probably will do a 60/5. Anyone with advice, especially around Orlando, Florida, would like to hear from. Eagle

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Having done it before, you know what's invovled. Some good data is:
Original BMW 1969-1985 (? I'm not exactly sure of the mid year book)
BMW Restoration Guide (by Dean Batchelor IIRC, same mid years are covered)
Both are available through Whitehorse Press.
A BMW-ETK, available on eBay. Make sure you get one that has the "Mobile Traditions" sections. That's where you'll find the old airhead stuff. A lot of people that sell 'em, aren't hip to it. (They're mostly car guys) If you need help with it, get in touch.

And label, bag, and notate EVERYTHING.

In my opinion, the Achilles Heel of those bikes are the slide carbueretors. The sleeved fit of the carbs to the head and the basic design lends itself to vacuum leaks and, as such, lean fuel/air running which leads to valve trouble. I think that /5's are the simplest, best, BMW motorcycles ever made. If at all possible, avoid pulling the wiring stub out of the headlight shell. Good luck, and feel free to PM or e-mail questions.

Invest in a digital camera. No need to get a really expensive one, 2 or 3 MP is good enough. Take a picture of everything coming apart. Take extra pictures if necessary to get every angle, and make sure they're reasonably in focus before proceeding. You will be amazed later how useful this is.

Restoration

Eagle,
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